Couldn't sleep...

I really wish I could put my feelings down like you tomi! and others here at pc. I totally agree with you that we as christians need to evaluate ourselves. maybe even daily.
let's all feel the love!

hehehe I wasn't really surprised because you were raised in a Catholic home. I've found that many Catholics don't read their Bible. They leave it up to the priest to tell them what's in it. And then you not being/feeling right with Catholisism...

I hope I haven't said too much.

PS The Apostle Paul either wrote or had Timothy write most of his letters (books now) after the four Gospels except Revelations, the last book of the Bible. AND... did you know that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John weren't necessarily written by those apostles?

{{{{{{{{{{Be}}}}}}}}}}}}

Sometimes it's really hard work putting down what I'm feeling and saying it in a way that it won't hurt or upset others. Sometimes I just don't care and say it the way I feel it, but this time, the Holy Spirit was doing it for me. As you can see, the biggest part of it was a cut and paste right from the Bible. NO trouble doing that!

PS - EDIT: Who knows, I may have the "gift of tongues"... English! LOL Believe it or not, it's my second language. I don't believe in the gift of "angelic tongues."

i understand your well meaning intentions Tomi and i'm grateful for them... a fraction of my life involves Catholicism (unless you count my family tree as a whole) ...
i cant avoid respecting Catholicism .. so you did make a few incorrect assumptions...

i have a personal Bible and a few extras in case anyone i know ever needs one...

i have access to a Concordance and i've read enough and discussed enough to feel comfortable about my understanding of the Bible... if i really need to know someting i can look it up...

The Corinthian passage as a whole is grand... has as much uplift as Desiderata for me... maybe an ounce more...

Thanks Tomi... looking forward to a New Year...

Here's a couple of links to make things easier for you, should you choose to use them.

Strongs Concordance and Commentaries This one also has the Greek, Hebrew and Latin translations.

The Bible, Commentaries and all Translations including Greek and Latin This one I use for reading a whole chapter or similar. I find this more difficult to use.

nice... thanks Tomi

OOOPS! I just received this correction. Sorry! My bad!

LUKE wrote, physically, for Paul.
MARK wrote for Peter

An apology to Darrel!!

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SeptemberMorn said:
hehehe I wasn't really surprised because you were raised in a Catholic home. I've found that many Catholics don't read their Bible. They leave it up to the priest to tell them what's in it. And then you not being/feeling right with Catholisism...

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I did it again! Posted without thinking! at myself! I'm so sorry, Darrel. SHEEEESH! I didn't mean anything personal with that statement.

apology accepted Tomi... we're still getting to know each other

Thank you!

Romans 5:8 (NKJT) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4 (NLT) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Ephesians 5:2 (NLT) Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to him.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

I want to thank you again September for allowing me to feel comfortable in God's love.

You definitely have a way of reassuring people that they are good enough right now for God's love, but at the same time letting them know they could be even better and even more deserving........ .

I am glad in a very selfish way that you lost sleep the other night.......and thanks for staying awake to receive the message of love that you shared with everyone!

Take care everyone!

Bump.......just thought this message of God's love and UNDERSTANDING needed to be bumped to the top again.

For man was created to love God and to be loved by God.

Observe & Consider
How we perceive a person inevitably influences the way we respond to that person. For instance, if you learned from a co-worker that your supervisor was very angry with you, how do you suppose you would feel to see him (or her) suddenly appear at the doorway of your office?

Or, if you were driving down the street and listening to some of your favorite music and you saw a police car approaching with lights flashing, would you immediately look at your speedometer to make sure you were not breaking the law? If you're like most people, you would.

In the same way, your perception of God will most likely determine your immediate response to Him. Because this simple statement is so significant, let's look at it and delve more deeply into what it means to us. If this statement is true, then it becomes a foundation for every other truth we'll consider in our study of God's story. If it is not true, then you could hardly be blamed for abandoning this endeavor here and now.

The proof of this excerpt from "The HOPE" cannot be effectively made with just a few Bible verses. Only when a person truly considers the whole of God's story as it is recorded for us in the Bible, is it possible to begin to understand the truth of a verse like 1 John 4:8 which so simply states, "God is love."

Think about that verse for a moment. It doesn't say that God loves, but rather that God is love. God loves because He is love. God does nothing that somehow does not involve His love, for love is who He is.

Of course, while an in-depth study of God's story may help a person grow in their conceptual understanding of His love, it is only by experiencing God's love in the ups and downs and ins and outs of life that it becomes intimately real to us. Each of us needs this truth to be etched in our soul in such a way that it erases whatever distorted picture we might have of God, and replaces it with one that is right and true. Until we know Him as He truly is, we will not respond rightly to Him.

Ask & Reflect
How do you see or perceive God today? Do you see Him like the angry boss or the police officer we considered at the beginning of the lesson? Do you see Him as a loving father or a friend? How do you perceive God at this very moment? Think about it before you respond.

Where did this picture of God come from? How will it affect the way you respond to God today?

Would you say that you are experiencing the love of God in your life at this moment? Why or why not? What experiences in your past contribute to your present experience?

Decide & Do
The questions above deserve more than a few minutes' consideration. Perhaps you should commit whatever time is necessary to ponder these questions and work through your response. You might even want to journal your thoughts.

Ask God to show you how your picture of Him might be distorted. Ask Him to paint for you a picture that is true. And remember, such a masterpiece could take a lifetime - and it would be time well spent!

Another great post. I would only add that sometimes it is not the boss your afraid of You realize that it may be the messenger instead.

When people present themselves in a strict, self-rightous, how dare you question, you must be against us kind of way, then my first instinct is to warn others to stay away from that person. And then others may not get the chance to learn that the boss is in fact a loving, understanding, very approachable kind of person or God even .

People need to see and know God's love first and then they need to know that they can stumble. They can search and ask questions of others without being afraid to hear "I told you so" when they come back.

God should be seen as a God of love, understanding and acceptance first .......because EVERYONE needs love, understanding and acceptance. Everything else can come later.......heck you want to actually meet the boss before you form an opinion don't you?

Thanks again September! What a great thread for the new year.

Danialla, you're perfectly right! We need to meet the Boss first before we can form a truthful oppinion.

I must add, though, that my impression of God was that He was distant, uncaring and I saw Jesus as aloof, with his nose in the air and too heavenly minded to be of much earthly good.

Where did I get that idea, you may ask. Hmmm... well... from my earthly father, to tell you the truth! He wasn't much of a father at all. He had a lay prison ministry and he was known for his love of kids. In fact, he was like the Pied Pipper at church. The only child that wasn't allowed (by him) to follow him around, to hitch a ride on the bumpers or the running board of his car was me. I didn't get some of the loose change in his pocket that he handed out to the other kids. In fact, my mom never received one red cent in child support from him. THAT is where I got my idea of what my Heavenly Father must be like. Boy was I wrong! My Heavenly Father does love me, he cares and takes care of me on a daily basis, even on a minute by minute basis and only wants the very best for me as an individual!

It's been a long, difficult road for me to understand this but my Heavenly Father has always been right by my side, caring for me, always giving me what I've needed and sometimes, just giving me something I simply wanted. There's also been many a time when He said, "Not yet." You see, I'm the impatient sort. LOL

Some day, I'll have to tell my story (testimony) in whole rather than in pieces.

PSALM 103
A Psalm of David.

1 BLESS the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's...
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

I first heard this song sung my George Beverly Shea who sings/sang with the Billy Graham Crusades. I've since lost the album that I had. George had a "preamble" that he spoke before he started singing. I can't find the lyrics with that "preamble" but I'm going to adlib as I can remember because to me, that was the best part of the song.

When we stand on the shore, we can only see a little of the ocean. So it is with God's love. We can only see a little of God's love, but out there, there's more... there's more!

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure,
The saints' and angels' song.

I hope you are richly blessed by the words of this song, just like I was.

(((((((september))))) thank you for starting this thread. i too felt some were coming on too strong and harsh even at times in this forum. which is why i hadn't posted much here in a while. i too think the most important message we can put out there is the promise of God's eternal love, His grace, and His mercy. so with that i too would like to contribute to your beautiful thread. as christians we are to demonstrate love to ALL, not just those who believe the same as we.

1John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also out to love one another.

1John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.

i think this is another message from the bible that i feel is important to share. i find it beautiful and i hope other do as well.

2Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in ANY trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

to me this message says that God is always there for us no matter our trouble or place in this life. we should show and treat ALL others with the same love and compassion that He himself so graciously has comforted us with.

Recluse, thank you so very much for your valuable contributions!

so happy to see this thread!!!! just one more i want to share tonight before i head to bed.

2corinthians 13:11
Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

God's love and peace is offered freely to all people who choose to receive it. It is not our place to decide who is worthy. for none are worthy but by the grace of God and the mercy and love He so freely gives to us ALL.

ok, goodnight all. i hope you are as inspired by this thread as i am. i think our spiritual forum could use a lot of love, tolerance, acceptance, and compassion towards everyone.
i hope this helps others to feel more welcome here.

thanks again tomi. i am thankful that you followed thru with what was put upon your heart.

Recluse, I'm so excited that you have joined this thread! Your contributions will always be more than welcome!

This is the song I responded to when Jesus called me to either confess my faith in him or jump off the fence.

For me, it was a very emotional slice of time. My heart started pounding hard and my knees started shaking. I was petrified of walking down the isle to the altar in front of a huge, crowded church.

Like the Prophet Samuel, I asked God "What?? What do you want with me? I can commit my life to you right here at my seat!" No, that wasn't good enough; not for me and not for the One who was calling me.

To distract myself, I started paying attention to the words of the song; singing them in order to block out the pounding of my heart and my shaky knees. Before I knew it, I was walking down that long, long isle down to the front of the church. I repeated the words that were given to me to say and I was shocked at the intensity and the loudness of my voice, but I had made my promise to God.

By the time I had walked the one block to my house, the feeling was gone. I felt no different than when I had walked to church. My mother wanted me to talk to my uncle about my experience but I didn't want to share it with that old man. He was a minister and pretty much the patriarch of both my aunt's (his) family and of my mom, her mom and my family. Something told me not to share with him.

Looking back, there were many ups and downs in my young life. I was 12 at the time. I tried to be a new Christian and then I'd give up and continued like I had been before my experience. In fact, in many ways, I forgot what had happened and lived a promiscous life. Yet, I did none of the things that I was accused of by my mother. Something held me back from going completely wild. I could have, easily, but I just wouldn't completely cross that line again.

It wasn't until I had two children that the Holy Spirit nudged me again and I was baptized by immersion. From then on, I tried to live a Christian life. I failed quite often but God was still by my side, taking care of me. There were things that happened that I couldn't deny that God knew my needs before I did and filled them. He has continued to watch over me as I moved away from Him and then back again. This is the song that gave me the courage to move close to Him and eventually, I kept Him by my side.

There is no fear of rejection or abandonement with God. He loves us no matter who we are and were we are in this journey called Life.


Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

((((((septembermorn))))))

thank you for sharing this hymn. it is my absolute favorite. i weep everytime i hear it because i am so thankful that God is a God of love. and that He accepts me, Just as I am. i am in no way perfect, nor will i ever be. But God loves me. He loved me when i was so lost in sin and had completely turned away and He loved me enough to pull me back in to His light and show me i dont have to be perfect, just forgiven.

I pray that you are blessed for what you are doing here. For it has blessed me dearly to be a part of it.

recluse1